


It's Always Crowded

by raewise



Series: Kit Ashbourne [6]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: 5+1 Things, Asexual Character, Bisexuality, F/F, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Nondescriptive Brain Surgery, Past Drug Addiction, Some humour, This was just an excuse to write Fisto lbr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 20:27:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7588858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raewise/pseuds/raewise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 people who did not sleep with Kit Ashbourne</p><p>+1 who did</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Always Crowded

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley
> 
> This was mostly for fun, as I wanted to write a lot of these characters but couldn't find a way to properly fit them into the series, so here they are! Hope you like it.
> 
> Also, did you know that Kit has her own playlist?? Whaaaat? You can listen to it [here!](http://8tracks.com/eroticnarwhal/part-2-the-world) I made playlists for my other Fallout protags, Rizzo and Lucy-Jane, that are also available on my 8tracks! Give them a listen if you want.
> 
> Warning: Kit makes mention of performing sexual acts on an unconscious person during the Usanagi section. If this bothers you at all, please skip it!

  1. **The King**



The King sits across from her, watching the stage. The kid’s voice wobbles as he sings, and Kit cringes pityingly. The King does not look impressed. When the poor boy stumbles, Kit has to physically cover her eyes. It’s like watching a fist fight break out, brutal and yet you can’t look away.

“Christ, kid,” the King says, handsome face screwed up. “Who the hell let you up there?”

The young king’s face goes bright red, contrasting his black hair and leather jacket. Kit fingers a tear in her own Kings jacket. “S-sorry. The old guy has rad sickness, so they forced me up here.”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

Kit sighs into her hands. Rex puts his head on her lap, his warm breath ruffling the bottom of her shirt. She runs a diffident finger around where the glass casing over his brain meets his soft fur. The dog happily leans into her touch, snorting and making a faint whining sound in his throat.

“King,” she says. He looks at her, his frustrated frown disappearing. “I think Rexie needs to stretch his legs a bit. Get the old gears going again.”

“Sure thing, doll. Would you mind some company? Been awhile since I’ve seen the sky.”

Kit smiles softly at him. “Not at all.”

He holds his arm out for her to grasp, and Kit hesitates. The King is a gentleman in a world where such a thing is an endangered species. She feels herself blush, and puts her hand delicately on his forearm. His free hand trails down the back of hers, sending shivers down her spine.

“C’mon, Rex,” he says with a whistle. The cybernetic dog runs ahead, scratching at the door. A king holds the door open for him, nodding at Kit and the King when they squeeze past him. Kit notices a pair of leather-clad gang members trailing them, hands hovering over their sidearms. She supposes privacy doesn’t exist when you’re with someone as significant as the King. The bodyguards lope behind them at a polite distance.

The crier for the Atomic Wrangler waves over-excitedly from her street corner. The King acknowledges her with a polite close-lipped smile.

“She used to be one of my groupies, y’know.” Kit looks at him through the corner of her eye, analyzing his wistful expression. “She’s a nice girl. Glad things’ve worked out for her.”

“Do they get paid? Your groupies, I mean. Are they like prostitutes?” She doesn’t bother masking her bluntness.

“Of course. I take care of my girls. They work hard.”

“‘Hard,’ eh?”

He laughs. “From what I hear, you have a posse of your own. Benny the Chairman, huh? How’d that happen?”

Kit rolls her shoulders, watching Rex rifle through a pile of trash. She flexes her grip on the King’s arm. “He shot me in the head. Lust at first sight.” He lets out a sharp guffaw, and she swats his chest. “I’m not kidding! Suppose you had to be there. Wasn’t anything personal, and I got him back for it.” She grins darkly, remembering his pretty lips around the end of her rifle, the feeling of his bare ass beneath her aggressive strikes.

“I sense a long story.”

“I could write a book, baby. You can call me… an avid collector of eclectic lovers.”

Rex drops a torn-up teddy bear at the pair’s feet. The King crouches down to pick it up, then throws it down the block. Rex barks happily and sprints after it. Kit watches him run, feels the King’s stare.

“What?” she asks him, running a hand through her curls.

“You're something else. Anyone ever told you your eyes are the colour of lapis lazuli?”

“Don't even know what that is, frankly.” Despite that, she feels her face heat. She doesn't know what's wrong with her; Kit is anything but a timid woman.

The King reaches into his fancy, pristine white jacket and pulls out a long silver chain. An old, chipped blue rock hangs on the end, so bright in the hot sunlight. Kit reaches up to touch it, watching it rock back and forth in the air.

 _“Oh,”_ she says.

The King is very close to her. She can feel his warm breath on her cheek. “You're a formidable woman, kitten.” She shivers at the nickname, eerily reminded of when Benny calls her ‘pussycat.’ This pet name gives her the same jittery feeling in her gut. “I'm glad you stumbled into my town. Some cats like me could only dream of meeting a kitty like you.”

“There isn't a cat similar to you in the world, King.” Kit feels herself sober as her own words settle in. There isn't anyone on Earth who is the King’s equal. You could search all of the Wastes and you wouldn’t ever find a man as great as him.

“Let me take care of you. A lady like you deserves a nice”--he traces the shell of her ear with his lips-- _“long_ cat nap.”

She wants to take him up on it, but she knows the kind of woman he wants isn’t a woman like her. He wants meek and submissive and blonde--like the Wrangler’s crier, or his current girls, Marcie and Darla. Kit knows she’s not that. She doesn’t know what exactly she is, but it isn’t that.

“I’m sorry, King. But you’re gonna have to check into the Heartbreak Hotel.” He frowns, watching her. Putting the necklace back into his pocket and straightening out his lapels, he takes a step back.

“I understand.” The gang leader looks genuinely disappointed, and she can’t blame him. How often is the King told he isn’t allowed to have something?

“I respect you too much, sweetie.” A caress to the inside of his wrist. “And I think we’ve got a good thing going already. Partners?”

The King picks up Rex’s slobbery stuffed animal again and chucks it, the two of them listening to Rex’s nails _click-clack_ against the street. “Sure, babydoll. Anything for you.”

 

  1. **Colonel Hsu**



Hsu is the kind of man who never has a hair out of place, always perfectly clean-shaven. Something about him reminds Kit very faintly of a father figure, though she can’t remember the man’s face or voice or _anything_ but his tidy hairdo. It’s oddly charming, in a way. Hsu, not the father figure.

“Thank you for finding Ranger Anders, Miss Ashbourne. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty, and you aren’t even a soldier.” His hand is in front of her, smooth and clean, with perfectly rounded-off nails and healthy, plump fingers. She shakes it.

“Happy to help, Col.” Hsu must assume that’s the end of the conversation, as he turns his back on her to pull out his chair. His desk is very organized, papers in perfectly straight piles. The lightbulb flickers above him, casting shadows across his square jaw.

Cass is in the concourse building, securing a pair of beds for the night. She has the meal tickets, too, and Kit knows if she doesn’t meet her friend soon she’ll eat both their portions.

Hsu notices she’s still there. “Miss Ashbourne? Did you need something else?”

She wants to proposition him, wants to see his immaculate hair mussed by her fingers. She’d love to see lipstick on his collar, a blush creeping up his neck as he addresses his troops. Kit thinks she may be able to fit underneath his desk…

“No, Col. Just thinking.”

“Alright, miss.” He doesn’t ask what she was thinking about, just nods and waits for her to leave. She feels his eyes on her back.

At least she has corn and beans to look forward to.

 

  1. **Dr. Usanagi**



“Hook me up, doc.”

Usanagi looks up from her medical sheet, studying Kit’s confident grin. “Just a minute, Kit. It says here you’ve struggled with chem addiction in the past. With that in mind, after you receive the implants you’re going to want to use Med-X to deal with the headaches for about a week. Will you be able to start taking Med-X, or should I prescribe you with a more natural, less addictive, pain reliever?”

“I was on Jet, Usanagi. I’ll have Arcade get me the Med-X so I’m not tempted to make any _additional purchases.”_

Usanagi hums under her breath, nodding finally. “Alright, Kit. I think I’m all ready to go. You wanted the Probability Calculator and the Optics Enhancer?” At Kit’s nod the doctor begins to explain how the tech will work, how it’ll help her balance odds and see inhumanly far distances. Kit mentions the shrapnel stuck in her brain, and Usanagi assures her it won’t make her condition worse. The implants will be connected to the outside of the brain, right below her skull.

Just as Kit is beginning to think, _She won’t even need to knock me out for this, she’s putting me to sleep as it is…_ Usanagi prepares the sleeping gas.

“This will put you under for a couple hours, more than enough time for me to make the incisions and insert the chips. Do you have any questions before we begin?” Usanagi turns to look at her, the very essence of professionalism. The woman is smart, insanely so, and pretty in a very homely way. She’s what Kit pictures when someone says ‘girl next door.’

“No, no. Just--feel free to do whatever you want with my body when I’m out.” She grins wryly, watching Usanagi’s face go cherry red. As the woman tenses up, Kit begins to feel concern. “I was just joking. Doc? I’m sorry. I do it with everyone.”

Usanagi clears her throat, looking at the wall. She swings a leg back and forth, trying to catch her breath. “I-I know you didn’t mean anything by it, Kit, but please refrain from… _flirting_ with me. I’m not _\--God,_ I’m not interested in any sexual advances. In fact, they make me extremely uncomfortable, so…”

“Oh, I understand. I read you loud and clear. I’m sorry for making you anxious. Are you still willing to go through with the procedure?”

Usanagi breathes in deeply, letting her stiff shoulders relax. “Whenever you’re ready, Kit.”

 

  1. **Raquel**



“Hey, Raquel! What’s the haps?”

Raquel scowls down at the missile launcher on her worktable, wishing the outsider away. It’s bad enough that Pearl allows her to walk around the base as she pleases, but the savage woman seems to take every opportunity to pester her. This is the third time in this visit alone Ashbourne has attempted to make conversation.

“I’m working. Go away.”

Ashbourne’s leaning against the table now, picking up the pieces of the weapon and examining them. Raquel balls her hands into fists deep in her pockets so she doesn’t punch the woman in the nose.

“Are you sure I couldn’t be able to… _distract_ you for a few moments?”

“I’m absolutely positive, outsider.”

Ashbourne smiles, and if Raquel didn’t hate her so much she would’ve found it charming. “You’re such a beautiful woman, Raquel. It’s a damn shame no one ever gets to see you.”

“You say that as if it’s my problem.” Her tone is as dry as she can possibly make it. Ashbourne visibly blanches for a moment, causing Raquel’s lips to curl into a self-satisfied smirk. “Look, Ashbourne, I really need to finish my upgrades on this weapon. The way I see it, you’re getting in my way. If you don’t get _out_ of my way, I will be forced to move you by force.”

Ashbourne blinks. Then, she simpers. “Alright, I see how it is. I guess I’ll just go _make conversation_ with Argyll instead.”

Raquel’s teeth grind. This woman wants to be murdered, surely. Why else would someone goad her on like this? Attempting to seduce her was one thing, but to retaliate rejection by pursuing Raquel’s man? Ashbourne is an evil woman.

“Savage, wait!”

Ashbourne turns around, examining her well-manicured nails. “Yes? Did Her Majesty need something?”

Raquel spits on the ground at Ashbourne’s feet, pleased at the outsider’s disgusted expression. She crosses her arms, examining the NCR ally. “You want to sleep with me. I know that. What I don’t understand is why. Do you not have enough sexual partners? I’ve heard you boast about it during supper.”

“I have a lot of love to give, sugar.”

“Don’t call me that.” Raquel glowers. “Do you think it’s funny? To bother me and interrupt my work--important work, I might add!”

Ashbourne watches her for a long time, and Raquel feels like a subject being studied by a scientist. A bug under a microscope. Any second her wings are to be pinned against cork board.

“I do honestly believe you work too much. It’s not good for you. A war is coming, yes, but ever since the Boomers allied with the NCR you’ve been wasting away. You’re pale, hon. A breeze would knock you over.” Ashbourne touches her shoulder. “I understand the stress you’re under. But you need to take care of yourself. Please. Not for me. For Argyll and Pearl and Pete and everyone else who needs you.”

Raquel closes her eyes, lets out a breath. “Leave me, please.” Ashbourne looks like she wants to protest, but Raquel holds up a hand, silencing any arguments. “Please, outsider.”

Ashbourne leaves her in her workshop, tail between her legs. On a normal day Raquel would feel satisfaction, as this is a victory won against a pest of a person. But instead she shakes her head to herself, bites her thumbnail, and thinks.

If, later that night, she allows herself to laugh at the jokes Jack tells as she indulges in a couple drinks, that doesn’t need to have anything to do with a pretty freelancer, does it? She’s doing it because she wants to. No motive behind it at all…

 

  1. **Dr. Keely**



“You made quick work of this elevator,” Keely comments, looking over the panel. “I’m impressed.”

Kit grins, preening at the compliment. “I’ve picked up a few things in my years. It was no problem.”

Keely snorts. “Don’t get cocky, smoothskin. It’ll get you killed.”

“Already died once. The concept isn’t foreign.”

Keely almost giggles as she steps into the elevator. ED-E hovers nearby, beeping and booping. Kit appreciates the ghoul’s body shape, her slender shoulders and pretty cheekbones. She imagines she was once a stunning woman, can picture her hair done in picturesque pin curls and blue eyes framed by stylish glasses.

“When you were at McCarran, did you talk to Dr. Williams?” Keely asks.

“She’s the one who mentioned you were missing.”

Keely looks away bashfully, smiling to herself. “Oh, Angie…” Her brow hardens after a moment. “That bastard, Hildern, bet he didn’t tell you he hired anyone before you, huh?”

“No. That was Williams, too.”

Keely nods. “Thought so. That jackass is a slimy pile of bad news. Hope he chokes to death on his own hubris.”

The lift stops on the second floor, and the pair step out. Kit pulls out her sidearm, ready to defend herself and the scientist. She hears ED-E prepare its lazers as well. The lab is a mess, and Keely sighs before beginning to get her tools together. “I’d have this all done a lot quicker if my Pip-Boy wasn’t on the fritz. Two hundred years and no warranty? Who’d have guessed?”

Kit chuckles, counting her bullets. A couple mags of .308’s left, as well as a proverbial shitton of 10mm’s. She assumes she’s good.

“Are you with First Recon?” Keely asks, watching Kit from across the room. “They don’t normally send you guys on solo missions.”

“Hm? Oh, no. The beret was a gift from a friend. He was First Recon, but left after Bitter Springs.” Kit feels a bit uneasy talking about Boone’s private business like this, but she isn’t naming any names. Plus, the elegant slope of Keely’s throat is rather distracting.

“Nasty bit of business that was,” Keely says, tapping away at a terminal. Kit notices she’s missing the little finger on her left hand. “Too many good people dead.” It sounds like something she’s rehearsed. Her tone implies she’s only mildly irritated at the catastrophic loss for the Great Khans. Kit feels her lip curl distastefully.

“It was a damned tragedy. _Children_ died, doctor.”

Keely pauses her work, looking over at Kit fully. Her slim shoulders are hunched. “When you’ve lived as long as me, loss doesn’t affect you the same way. But you’re right. My desensitivity is no excuse for disrespect.” With that, she goes back to her work. Kit observes her fingers dance across the keys, listening to the vault’s generators hum and the minute little beeps ED-E makes as it hovers around the room.

“I’m going to scout the lower levels again, make sure I didn’t miss any spore carriers.”

“Alright,” Keely says. Kit’s out the door before the ghoul can say anything else.

 

**+1. Fisto**

“I’m going to fuck it,” Kit says, and she hears Boone gag behind her. “What?”

“I swear to Christ, Kit, if you even look at that thing I’m not gonna get within five feet of you ever again.”

She scowls up at him, crossing her arms. “C’mon, Boone. This is the opportunity of a lifetime! Have you _ever_ seen a sexbot before? No? Well, guess what we have here!” She looks back to the reprogrammed protectron.

“Please assume the position,” it says, and Kit shivers.

“This is so creepy,” Boone says, face twisted up in disgust.

“I’ve had sex with weirder things. I’m with you, aren’t I?”

Boone stares at her blankly, making Kit twitch.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry. Let’s just get Fisto back to the Garrets and we won’t ever have to talk about this again.” She’s almost past him, Fisto clambering loudly behind her, when Boone grips her arm tightly.

Teeth clenched, Boone mutters, “If you really want to do this, I won’t stop you. But I’m waiting outside, okay?”

Kit leaps up, wraps her arms around his neck, hanging on him. His hands come up to support her waist, but he still grumbles into her hair. She presses a wet kiss to his cheek, leaving a bright red smear. “Oh, _sweetheart!_ I’ll make it up to you, I swear! Tonight I’m taking you to the Ultra Luxe, buying you the fanciest brew in town, and blowing you under the table. How’s that sound?”

Boone’s face is bright red, and he coughs into his fist before nodding. “That, uh, that sounds… fine. Okay.” Dazed, he waddles out of the shop, leaving Kit and Fisto alone.

“Please assume the position.”

Grinning ear-to-ear, Kit sings: “Gladly!”

**Author's Note:**

> Boone is kind've a bonus +1 I guess... 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> [Buy me a coffee!](http://ko-fi.com/I3I59IAV)


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